By Maxi Grace
I would like to bring to your attention a concern regarding the service of a bus liner, particularly the 4 a.m. bus trip bound for Toledo City, Cebu.
I regularly take the earliest trip because I need to reach my destination early. However, the scheduled 4 a.m. bus did not arrive on time. I ended up waiting for more than an hour, even though buses for other routes were already available at the terminal.
What frustrated me even more was the lack of proper communication. Passengers were allowed to purchase tickets for the scheduled trip even though the bus had not yet arrived. The teller also appeared to have no information about the status of the trip or when the bus would actually arrive.
When I raised my concern with the teller, I was told that the schedule depends on the driver and controller.
This response raises an important question: If the schedule depends on the driver and controller, how are passengers and terminal personnel supposed to know whether a scheduled bus will arrive on time?
If there is no bus available for a scheduled trip, passengers should be informed before purchasing tickets. At the very least, passengers should be given accurate information about the delay so they can decide whether to wait or make alternative arrangements.
What concerns me most is that this does not appear to be an isolated inconvenience but part of a larger issue involving inconsistent scheduling, lack of communication and lack of accountability. There also seems to be no clear and accessible channel where passengers can immediately ask about delayed trips or raise concerns.
As commuters, we rely on public transportation to get to work, school, appointments, and other important commitments. Waiting for more than an hour for a supposedly scheduled 4 a.m. trip, without being properly informed, is extremely frustrating and unfair to passengers who have planned their day around the published or expected schedule.
I am bringing this matter to your attention because I believe it deserves public scrutiny. I hope your newsroom can look into how the bus liner manages its schedules, how delays are communicated to passengers and terminal staff and whether there are proper procedures in place to ensure accountability when scheduled trips are significantly delayed.
I am willing to provide additional details, including the date and location of the incident, ticket information and other relevant information that may help in verifying the complaint.
